Always a nice hike but boring through the forest if you're going up to the ridge. We always hike back along the ridge to get the views. There isn't a marked trail on the ridge but you just need to follow the edge. Drop down when you see the cairns. We went Nov 25th, no need for snowshoes but spikes were useful.

Nice quick and easy trail with only one major incline and another moderately steep hill in the last 3rd of the hike. Will probably be the last chance to hike this one before Powderface Trail closes for the season.

Did this at the beginning of November, some snow but it was doable. The views were great once you got to the ridge and the elevation wasn’t too bad although we couldn’t continue to the finish due to the crazy strong wind. Overall great hike with great views.

Made it to the base of the peak of cougar mountain. Went to the false summit and across the ridge only 2271 elevation gained.... however I couldn’t push on due to snow and wind - wasn’t safe even preparing for the hike. Next time going to try it in the summer and camp at the camp ground below - hike the peak and spend a night at the camp ground. Really amazing views and a Beautiful mountain. That 12km straight line to the hike area is a killer. I did it on a bike there and back and it was tough go. Crossing the river was interesting too (used logs to make a bridge) I think the camping will help spilt up that 12km trek a lot better.

We went last summer, underestimated this hike Haha! Took us 7 hours round trip, I’m pretty sure we hiked 2 trails or were just that slow! amazing views at the top but we were very ill prepared! Haha next time we will bring more then one water bottle! Enjoy!

Did a recon Oct 20 on this trail for a group hike on Oct 23. Still quite a bit of snow on upper Trail & on the ridge. Ice grippers helped on the way up but snow was soft on the way down so grippers not needed.

The incline on this hike was enough that I'm still feeling it a little a couple days later but I think the most challenging part was the snow. The trails up and down were fairly packed down but the ridge itself was untouched, which meant snow an average of halfway up to our knees making it more tiring. We originally planned on doing the 17km of ridge, but having forgotten my gaiters resulting in wet feet I'm glad we had parked at the shorter trailhead. Also keep in mind that the 14km ridge is more like 17km anyway because of the ascent and descent. Beautiful view of Moose mountain as well as Yamnuska and the frontcountry! I would definitely bring friends who are newer to hiking on this hike!

This hike has beautiful views that run along the elbow river/creek. Most of the trail is spent on a park service road, which makes the hike easy but a tad boring. You also have to cross the river/creek, so plan on getting your feet wet. Once you cross the creek and head down the road, you will have to pay close attention to the gps as there is no trail head or trail for that matter to summit cougar mountain. So all an all the trail goes from rather easy to hard in a sharp left turn up the mountain.

Not a bad trail. We were going to do Moose Mtn, but it was snowing hard and we woulda been soaked and it was too much in the clouds to see anything, so we tried a lower elevation trail and this one was good for a wet rainy/snowy day. Once past the campgrounds you’re in mud if it’s wet but a nice walk for family and dog. Not strenuous.

it is a challenging trail and hike. The initial walk in is along the fire road so biking is an option. I walked from the trail head parking lot to the river crossing in just over an hour. once you cross the river into the forest it is not too bad to find your way. just keep looking forward and you will know where to go.

I did not get to the summit as my legs decided they were done about 200m from it. if you do want to summit you do need to climb up a shaft so climbing experience and a helmet may be a good thing to have.

The scree up absolutely sucks and took me almost 3 hours alone..however coming back down took about 40mins.

On another smokey day this summer we looked for a shorter hike to do just to get out and do something! This is a nice shorter loop (took us 1hr 45min) that has a couple nice viewpoints and isn't overly difficult to hike. We went counter clockwise. The climb from the bottom is steady and has a couple steeper sections but the view from the top is worth it. Near the summit there is a sign post. Go right at the post for 100m or so and take in the view. You can complete the short, steep summit loop or just go back and continue down the Ford Knoll trail. There's a second viewpoint about 1km down on your right and then another you can see from the trail a little further down. Stay left at all junctions and you're soon back where you started. On the way down, near the bottom there are a couple creek crossing where the dog could cool down and get a drink.

I did not complete the trail, i ran into some scat i didnt recognize and being the only person out there decided to turn back, i was fairly close to the tree line but the mind can get the best of you sometimes.

I am going to be trying this again as it will not defeat me. There is very little trail once your off the river and it pure bush until you open up into the river bed, then through the meadow and back into bush whacking forest more or less.

There is a north approach off the river but seems more scramble and climbing.

It’s was a nice short hike for me. Not my favourite but closer to home. I could have made it longer and more challenging for myself but the reward at the top wasn’t worth the hike up (for me) I enjoy harder trails. Good for beginners looking for more of a challenge then grassi lakes

Pretty sure this ended up being our hike. We were aiming for White Buddha similar to other reviews we got to this beautiful ridge made our way to what we thought was the loop and got popped out on a gravel road requiring a 22KM drive back to our vehicle. Thankful for friendly, helpful people.

I think we did this trail today? Started at powderface and got to top of mountain where we really weren’t sure where to go, along with a few other groups. There was a map but no one seemed to know where to go. Perhaps we should have just got down the way we came but we ended up going down, which was straight at the very top on the back side. We got lost as there was a fork near the bottom, we ended up on a dirt road for about 2 hours. Luckily there were a lot of cars and ended up getting a ride after a long long walk. We were so far away from our car at the base of powderface. It would’ve been another 2.5 hr or more jaunt down the highway. It was a great hike but I feel like better signage would have really helped. If it wasn’t for the cars passing we would’ve been screwed! We would do this again but maybe go back down the way we came up. If anyone has any input on this please comment!

the hike for the first 3 to 4km is rather boring because you're on a service road but once you find the real trail head and get into the switch backs it's much more interesting. we did see one family who biked down the service road. and then ditched their bikes at the trail head. we brought the dogs and they had no problems with the hike. the magic is when you get to climb through the dried up river and see how the water has eroded the area. we had some time on out hands and decided to see how far down the river we could go which required a bit of scrambling but nothing major. we eventually got to a point where the river drops maybe 50 meters (which would have been stunning back when water flowed through the area). by that point we turned back up and refound the trail.

This hike is all about the destination. Start at the little elbow trail head and follow the path to the right along the river. We did this hike with small children (but it's long) once out of the campground the first 5K in and back is a mostly flat gravel road along the river. It would have been more enjoyable for the kids if we biked it to save time. You could easily use a chariot on this section. The river views make the road more enjoyable, there is spots to stop and throw in rocks. Once you reach the end of the 5K you will reach a stream (do not cross). You can park your bikes/chariots here. Congrats! you've reached the trail head. The trail goes straight up some steep switch backs for about 20 minutes (do not walk up the stream, the trail head is right before up in the woods). Once you're at the top walk for another 10 minutes and once you're back in the trees the canyon is down the hill to your left. It's not marked but if you can see all the rocks below you're headed in the right direction. It was well worth the walk to get to this awesome location, very secluded, a narrow canyon with lots of climbing opportunities to explore, go as far in as you are comfortable with. The kids loved it! I would have given it 5 stars if we biked.

Great hike! Pretty easy through the trees, gradual incline to a beautiful view at the top. Awesome spot to have some lunch and lay in the sunshine for a bit, or continue wandering along the other trails from the summit.

Very enjoyable hike, not a lot of exposure to the elements as you are sheltered in the forest for most of the hike. Plenty of wild flowers to see, and once you escape the tree line in the final ascent, there are many beautiful views of the valley. The hike starts off fairly steep, but if you can get past the first half or so it levels off and becomes relatively easy. The final climb to the flag requires some foot work as it is mostly loose rock, but it is not difficult. Overall a very enjoyable hike, a good workout but not hard. The trail is pretty busy, keep your head on a swivel for horse dung and mountain bikers.

The Arch is a highlight! Great views! A lot of exposure at the top so if that bothers you than think twice. Reason for only 4 stars.... so so many different pathways from start to finish in this hike and a lot of them go the wrong way or other part of the loop. Use a gps or be prepared for a few wrong turns.

We did the first part of the hike (littleElbow campsite to big elbow backcountry campsite). The trail is super flat with beautiful views. It’s only 8.7 k to the campsite which is right on the river and really beautiful. I would totally recommend!

The view at the top is unreal. Loved the fields and valleys of wildflowers along the way to the top. Steady incline and switchbacks throughout! Easy rooted trail that only gets a tad rocky before the peak. Bugspray is a must, and quite shaded for the majority of your journey... I felt particularly stoked to have am extra layer at 8:30am when we started on the trailhead. It was nippley.